AP/CP Board Exam Experience

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Hello everyone,

This month many people in our program will be taking the AP/CP boards. We already have received phone calls from people crying, drunk and in a state of disbelief following the exam. 😱 Just wondering if anyone else has taken the boards this month and what their thoughts were. Here is a list of study aids that we are recommended - any advice on whether anything additional would help.

For AP: :scared:
1. Robbins + Either Rosai or Sternberg
2. Either Essentials of Anatomic Path or Haber's Differential Dx
3. Osler AP Notes
4. Baby Demay or Atkinson's Cytopath
5. Anatomic Path Board Review Questions Book

For CP: 😴
1. For Heme - WHO book and Henry's Heme chapter
2. For Micro - Koneman's and Osler Micro Notes
3. For Bloodbank - Osler notes, Standards and Technical manual
4. For Chemistry - Henry's
5. For molecular - prayer
6. Henry's study guide
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I passed the AP/CP a few years ago, but I am keenly aware of how tough this exam is. I have heard of (and personally witnessed) many instances of people getting drunk after the AP and first 1/3 pf the CP, figuring why bother with the rest of the exam. I have seen desperate (and married) exam takers hook up with each other after day 2 of the exam, with the aid of booze and the belief that they have thrown a year (or more) of studying feverishly down the tubes. That cheesy sports bar in that hotel in Tampa has seen its share of strange acts.

It is a bear of a test, but it is doable. I agree with your study tips (the only difference is I recommend McClatchy over Henry, but that is fairly trivial). Also, get a good gross pathology atlas.

The best advise I can give is this: There is no substitute for putting in the time. If you put enough time into studying, you'll pass it. There are no shortcuts.
 
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My 2 cents:

Do not get stuck in the friggin line at Pantera's bakery at lunch.

Do not get ragingly drunk at the bar downstairs and have a random fling with another test taker between days, wait til after CP.

Do not spend all night hanging out the bars in the mall between test days, bad things can happen.

Do not go to the infamous Tampa red light district before or during the exam.

Do not do something dumb like hang outside the mall asking teenagers if they know where to buy ganja.

Do not talk with other test takers about what they heard was on the exam, you will panic yourself.

Do not eat the hotel lobby food (kiosk thing) at lunch, it's often left over from the rush the weekend before and is spoiled.

Do not listen to "that guy" who has taken the exam 5x and is trying to psych everyone out by claiming the last adminstration had 20 glass slides of retiform variants of sertoli-leydig cell tumors, alveolar soft parts sarcomas, Erdheim-Chester disease or other such 1 in a million diagnoses.

I would recommend reading: Rosai cover to cover, all WHO tumor books, Essentials of Anatomic Path + Cytology test book (forget the name, its an ASCP publication) + JHU test CD

For CP: Osler is a must, I would also back it up with the new ASCP course. At least read the material from both.

Honestly your best bet is getting the famous (infamous?) UPenn remembrances, they are insanely detailed and written by some saint-like figure named Kathy (I think, not sure, been awhile).
 
LADoc00 said:
My 2 cents:

Do not get stuck in the friggin line at Pantera's bakery at lunch.

Do not get ragingly drunk at the bar downstairs and have a random fling with another test taker between days, wait til after CP.

Do not spend all night hanging out the bars in the mall between test days, bad things can happen.

Do not go to the infamous Tampa red light district before or during the exam.

Do not do something dumb like hang outside the mall asking teenagers if they know where to buy ganja.

Do not talk with other test takers about what they heard was on the exam, you will panic yourself.

Do not eat the hotel lobby food (kiosk thing) at lunch, it's often left over from the rush the weekend before and is spoiled.

Do not listen to "that guy" who has taken the exam 5x and is trying to psych everyone out by claiming the last adminstration had 20 glass slides of retiform variants of sertoli-leydig cell tumors, alveolar soft parts sarcomas, Erdheim-Chester disease or other such 1 in a million diagnoses.

I would recommend reading: Rosai cover to cover, all WHO tumor books, Essentials of Anatomic Path + Cytology test book (forget the name, its an ASCP publication) + JHU test CD

For CP: Osler is a must, I would also back it up with the new ASCP course. At least read the material from both.

Honestly your best bet is getting the famous (infamous?) UPenn remembrances, they are insanely detailed and written by some saint-like figure named Kathy (I think, not sure, been awhile).
Click to expand...

Good advice, except for the part about avoiding the Tampa red-light district. I think a quick stop over at Mons Venus would only help in relaxing the anxious test-taker. Shame about that new(ish) 10 feet rule, tho.

If I interviewed a guy that cabbed over to Mons' between the AP and CP, and still passed both, I'd hire him.
 
pathdawg said:
Good advice, except for the part about avoiding the Tampa red-light district. I think a quick stop over at Mons Venus would only help in relaxing the anxious test-taker. Shame about that new(ish) 10 feet rule, tho.

If I interviewed a guy that cabbed over to Mons' between the AP and CP, and still passed both, I'd hire him.
Click to expand...

They have a 10 foot stripper rule in Tampa?! That is insane, what is the point then? I must admit never been to a club in Tampa, but I have sure dropped cash in Vegas(where alcohol and naked flesh are legally allowed to be served together)...ahhhh the memories... :laugh:
 
deschutes said:
What's the 10 feet rule? (I don't ask things I don't want to know the answer to.)
Click to expand...

Bare female parts must be ten feet away from the patrons. Basically meaning no naked privae lap dances, a staple of a good strip club.

...this maybe the single most hijacked thread ever, EVAH!
(boards--->stripping)

on such an occasion, it is customary to fly the Jolly Roger:
skul-JollyRoger%20(1.5)_____goateestyle.jpg
 
LADoc00 said:
...this maybe the single most hijacked thread ever, EVAH!
(boards--->stripping)
Click to expand...

Didn't we have one that asked about the Memorial onc fellowship and it degenrated into a diatribe over how badly Coldplay sucks?
 
LADoc00 said:
They have a 10 foot stripper rule in Tampa?! That is insane, what is the point then? I must admit never been to a club in Tampa, but I have sure dropped cash in Vegas(where alcohol and naked flesh are legally allowed to be served together)...ahhhh the memories... :laugh:
Click to expand...

I heard the folks in Tampa were in an uproar about the 10 foot rule when it took effect a few years back. I agree that the private "Champagne Room" lap dance feature is what separates a good go-go bar from a bad one.

Also, the potential loss of income for the dancers must've been devastating. I think this law helped make the bible thumpers feel better about going to strip clubs.
 
LADoc00 said:
...this maybe the single most hijacked thread ever, EVAH!
Click to expand...
With the Advanced Search function down, that claim cannot be rejected or verified 🙂

It's not too difficult to get the thread back on track, so I'll let whoever wants to do that, do it.

pathdawg said:
I think this law helped make the bible thumpers feel better about going to strip clubs.
Click to expand...
Kinda like bringing your kid to Body Worlds and then being outraged at the sight of the plastinated fetuses.
 
Maybe I can join the divergent threads (boards and stripping) with one picture: anyone ever notice how the building that ABP is in looks like a giant mirror-covered bosom?
Urban_5.JPG


Just came out of boards, after about 350 hours of studying over the course of seven months. It was by no means fun, but the test was not that bad. I think that I had made the test out to be worse in my mind than it actually was. If you use the resources that have been mentioned in this forum, and you *actively* study by working a lot of questions, and you pay attention in residency and work/go to conference, everything should be fine.

Rememberances are awesome. Find as many as you can and work them.

I'll post my detailed study outline as soon as I know I passed--no point making recommendations before I know. All I can say is I feel really good at this point--it's nice to be on the other side of that test!
 
LADoc00 said:
My 2 cents:
Do not eat the hotel lobby food (kiosk thing) at lunch, it's often left over from the rush the weekend before and is spoiled.
Click to expand...

I read this advice way too late. Had a gag-a-licious "wrap" which had some rotting cheese-like substance smeared in it. Avoid this place like the plague.
 
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Anna Plastic said:
I'll post my detailed study outline as soon as I know I passed--no point making recommendations before I know. All I can say is I feel really good at this point--it's nice to be on the other side of that test!
Click to expand...

Congrats on being done Anna! We would all appreciate hearing how you went about your study plan, especially us baby residents. How many times have we all said to ourselves and/or heard "Gee, wish I knew that 2-3 years ago when I needed it!" 😎
 
Anna Plastic said:
Just came out of boards, after about 350 hours of studying over the course of seven months. It was by no means fun, but the test was not that bad. I think that I had made the test out to be worse in my mind than it actually was. If you use the resources that have been mentioned in this forum, and you *actively* study by working a lot of questions, and you pay attention in residency and work/go to conference, everything should be fine.

Rememberances are awesome. Find as many as you can and work them.
Click to expand...

I wholeheartedly concur.

How does everyone feel about remembrances (other than them being really helpful)? Given that the ABP has us sign statements saying we won't record the contents of the test:

Is it ethical to use them?

Is it ethical to make them?
 
RyMcQ said:
I wholeheartedly concur.

How does everyone feel about remembrances (other than them being really helpful)? Given that the ABP has us sign statements saying we won't record the contents of the test:

Is it ethical to use them?

Is it ethical to make them?
Click to expand...

Dont be so goody goody Ry. The ABP is a corrupt entity that kept even the most basic info about how they scored the test as well as % passed secret for years. I think 'Eyes Wide Shut' when I imagine ABP meetings...
 
I really wonder what is this secrecy about?
How is helping us in the simple peparatoin for the exam.
From what I've seen people become really frantic, going out of their minds.
What we need is rules, examples, study guides.
Instead we have mistery...
And after all we have to work with what we have.
Good luck to everyone taking the boards this month!
 
LADoc00 said:
Dont be so goody goody Ry. The ABP is a corrupt entity that kept even the most basic info about how they scored the test as well as % passed secret for years. I think 'Eyes Wide Shut' when I imagine ABP meetings...
Click to expand...
Corrupt, I am not so sure. But, insular, unaccountable, unresponsive, yes definetly. The APB completely lacks transparency. I agree that, examinee data (eg. mean, scaled scores, SD, # passing/failing, cut-offs, etc) should all be published, along with a detailed analysis in the event of a failed exam. It is very unsatisfying to deal with ABP. How do they justify $2200 for AP/CP???
 
LADoc00 said:
Dont be so goody goody Ry.
Click to expand...

Maybe I was just looking for approval for what I really wanted to do. 🙂
 
LADoc00 said:
Dont be so goody goody Ry. The ABP is a corrupt entity that kept even the most basic info about how they scored the test as well as % passed secret for years. I think 'Eyes Wide Shut' when I imagine ABP meetings...
Click to expand...

I agree. The ABP is indeed a corrupt entitiy. There is no governance over what they do with the examination fee, how they score the exam, etc. They are almost like a secret "Skull and Bones"-type society. Everyone is too afraid to confront them. I think they have acted in an unscrupulous manner for decades. Spreading around "board remembrances" is perfectly okay. That they would intimidate and infer that this was somehow unethical further underscores their manipulative and malignant ways.
 
My searches have been unsuccessful ... has anybody heard a best-guess figure for what the pass rate might be? Program directors must get a feel for it over the years, even if they don't get an official figure.
 
Anybody knows if the elimination of the credentialing year, and the institution time-limited certification is coincidental?
 
Tappat said:
My searches have been unsuccessful ... has anybody heard a best-guess figure for what the pass rate might be? Program directors must get a feel for it over the years, even if they don't get an official figure.
Click to expand...

The ABP does in fact publish their pass rates. Go to abp.org and search their newsletters. It should be in there somewhere.
 
pathdawg said:
The ABP does in fact publish their pass rates. Go to abp.org and search their newsletters. It should be in there somewhere.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I found the information, and the link is:
http://www.abpath.org/200601newsltr.htm

Those are pretty substantial fail rates! It's inspiring.
 
springbannerright.jpg


Boycott Au bon pain!
 
LADoc00 said:
Do not get stuck in the friggin line at Pantera's bakery at lunch.
Click to expand...

At least the music is good while you wait.... :laugh:
 
Thanks for the info Anna Plastic. I'm due to take boards in 1 week and of course I'm in full panic mode at the moment. I feel like there is no possible way to memorize all the important information, particularly in CP. Without getting into specifics, do you think most of the questions were congruent with the content of the Osler notes? Or were there more questions about things that you hadn't run across? The latter is how my pessimistic mind envisions the test, of course 🙂. Thanks!
 
Doctor B. said:
Thanks for the info Anna Plastic. I'm due to take boards in 1 week and of course I'm in full panic mode at the moment. I feel like there is no possible way to memorize all the important information, particularly in CP. Without getting into specifics, do you think most of the questions were congruent with the content of the Osler notes? Or were there more questions about things that you hadn't run across? The latter is how my pessimistic mind envisions the test, of course 🙂. Thanks!
Click to expand...

Dr. B,

Great cp board remembrances (including this current exam) can be found here:

http://aging.als.uiuc.edu/2002 07 01 6.GerardDurand fishing @ Cedar Springs, VA.jpg

enjoy.
 
Doctor B. said:
Thanks for the info Anna Plastic. I'm due to take boards in 1 week and of course I'm in full panic mode at the moment. I feel like there is no possible way to memorize all the important information, particularly in CP. Without getting into specifics, do you think most of the questions were congruent with the content of the Osler notes? Or were there more questions about things that you hadn't run across? The latter is how my pessimistic mind envisions the test, of course 🙂. Thanks!
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, I can speak with no authority on the CP Osler notes--I did not use them. But I know of many others that have used them in previous years with success. I know it is pointless for me to say "don't panic"; hell, I was frantic a week before myself. Have faith in your preparation, and I wish the best of luck to you.

By the way, they REFRIGERATE the exam room. Seriously. I was wearing three layers (including a jacket) and my fingernails were still blue after sitting in there for an hour. Bring warm layers.
 
Doctor B. said:
Thanks 🙂. I'd certainly rather be fishing.
Click to expand...

Well, I figured you were fishing for some cp questions/topics, so it was fitting.
 
Anna Plastic said:
Unfortunately, I can speak with no authority on the CP Osler notes--I did not use them. But I know of many others that have used them in previous years with success. I know it is pointless for me to say "don't panic"; hell, I was frantic a week before myself. Have faith in your preparation, and I wish the best of luck to you.

By the way, they REFRIGERATE the exam room. Seriously. I was wearing three layers (including a jacket) and my fingernails were still blue after sitting in there for an hour. Bring warm layers.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. I feel better hearing you say it wasn't quite as bad as you thought. I'm just hoping that I have at least a passing familiarity with the topics addressed in the questions. That way I can make a somewhat educated guess if I don't know the answer straight away.
 
LADoc00 said:
Bare female parts must be ten feet away from the patrons. Basically meaning no naked privae lap dances, a staple of a good strip club.
Click to expand...

Greetings from sunny Tampa, everyone! I can definitively report that there is no, repeat NO 10-foot rule at Mons Venus. Lap dances are in full effect. 😎
 
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